The race for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft is taking shape after 10 weeks of the 2025 season . Five teams have at least a 5% chance at landing the top pick, according to ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) projections. So we called on our NFL reporters and analysts to size up each of those bottom-tier franchises after midseason.
Seth Walder used FPI to make sense of each of the five teams' schedules the rest of the way. Dan Graziano answered how the No. 1 pick could impact each team's current QB room. Our NFL Nation reporters looked at the biggest positional needs that could be addressed in the first round in April. Matt Miller spun it forward and suggested one prospect each front office could consider if it landed that top selection. And finally, Ben Solak rated each team's "e

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